'Biden, Michigan Governor Whitmer, Utah's Cox to joke at Washington's Gridiron dinner'

 U.S. President Joe Biden, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Utah Governor Spencer Cox are expected to skewer American politics and poke fun at themselves in speeches at the Gridiron Club dinner Saturday, a Washington tradition that began in the 1880s.

Biden's appearance at the dinner, in which politicians and journalists trade humorous barbs in a white-tie formal affair, will be the first time a president has attended in person since former President Donald Trump in 2018. Trump then made jokes about his wife leaving him and Vice President Mike Pence being humorless.

Biden recently clinched the Democratic Party's nomination for November's presidential election, and is trying to court voters, boost his low approval ratings and allay concerns that at 81 he is too old to run again.

The more than 650 expected guests include the Taoiseach of Ireland Leo Varadkar, Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas, Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, whose U.S. business could be banned by Biden.

"Your presence reminds us of the stakes - for the Baltic nations, for Europe and the world at large - of the war in Ukraine," Gridiron President Dan Balz, chief correspondent of The Washington Post, will say to Kallas, according to prepared remarks.

The club's 65 members, all representatives from news organizations, will perform satirical songs and skits that poke fun at Biden and Trump's ages and the luxury trips Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas took from a Republican donor.

Presidents occasionally take the stage with the costumed performers to sing a song, but there was no word that Biden planned to do so.

At last year's dinner, Mike Pence, who served as Vice President under Trump, offered a forceful rebuke of his one-time boss, saying history will hold Trump accountable for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Unlike its sister event, the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in April, the Gridiron dinner is not televised and tries to retain its yesteryear vibe with men in white tie and tails and women in long dresses.

No photos are allowed during the dinner and participants are asked not to post on social media until after it has concluded. 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/biden-michigan-governor-whitmer-utahs-220000923.html

94% of hospitals take financial hit from Change hack: AHA survey

 A survey from the American Hospital Association found that 94% of hospitals have felt financial impact from the Change Healthcare cyberattacks and over half have reported a "significant or serious" impact.

The AHA survey was shared with all U.S. hospitals, and the results represent around 1,000 hospital responses collected from March 9-12. 

Here are four additional survey findings:

1. Of the 82% of hospitals that reported cash flow impact, more than 33% reported an impact on over half of their revenue; almost 66% reported revenue impact is $1 million or greater daily; 44% expect the negative revenue impact to continue for two to four more months; and more than 20% of hospitals are uncertain of the impact magnitude from the attacks. 

2. Seventy-four percent of hospitals reported a direct effect on patient care. Almost 40% of hospitals reported patients having care access difficulties due to processing delays for health plan utilization requirements. 

3. While most of the surveyed hospitals are implementing workarounds, 67% said it is "difficult or very difficult" to change clearinghouses; 81% said the workarounds have been only somewhat successful; and 11% have found the workarounds unsuccessful. 

4. "These survey findings are another irrefutable reminder that the impact of this cyberattack is far reaching and far from over," Rick Pollack, president and CEO of AHA, said in a statement shared with Becker's. "When nearly every hospital says they are experiencing a financial loss and half of those say it's 'significant or serious,' with no immediate end in sight, then the debate about whether we need to help them should be over. We continue to call on Congress and the Administration to take additional actions now to support providers as they deal with significant fallout from this historic attack. We also need UnitedHealth Group and commercial payers to step up and support patients and providers on the front lines by waiving prior authorization and timely filing requirements, as well as advancing payments that will allow providers to continue providing 24/7 care to communities."

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/94-of-hospitals-take-financial-hit-from-change-hack-aha-survey.html

Provider types with the most Medicaid fraud civil settlements in 2023

 Medical device manufacturers accounted for the most Medicaid fraud civil settlements and judgments in 2023, according to a report from the HHS Office of Inspector General. 

The OIG's Medicaid Fraud Unit published its annual report March 14. The report broke down the organizations with the most civil settlements or judgements related to fraud in 2023. Medical device manufacturers were involved in 64 cases, the most of any category. 

Here are the provider types most commonly associated with Medicaid fraud settlements and judgements in 2023: 

1. Medical device manufacturers: 64 settlements and judgements 
2. Durable medical equipment suppliers: 60 settlements and judgements 
3. Pharmaceutical manufacturers: 49 settlements and judgements 
4. Home health agencies: 26 settlements and judgements 
5. Retail pharmacy: 20 settlements and judgements 

Read the full report here.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/legal-regulatory-issues/the-provider-types-with-the-most-medicaid-fraud-civil-settlements-in-2023.html

'Steroid drugs used for HRT can combat E. coli and MRSA'

 The emergence of drug-resistant bacteria is a global threat to human health, and the development of new antibiotics from scratch is an extremely expensive and time-consuming process. To address this urgent issue, researchers from the University of Kent's School of Biosciences have combined computational and microbiology laboratory approaches to identify existing drugs that can be repurposed to combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

This research, which has been published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, revealed that a class of steroid drugs currently used in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can also stop the growth of antibiotic-resistant E. coli and effectively kill MRSA.

These drugs are particularly good at binding to a protein complex, cytochrome bd, which is important for the growth and survival of a range of disease-causing bacterial species.

It is expected that steroids may provide an alternative to conventional antibiotics that are becoming increasingly ineffective.

Dr Mark Shepherd, Reader in Microbial Biochemistry at Kent and the corresponding author on the paper, said: 'These exciting developments will help to advance research into new antimicrobials, and we are enthusiastic to use our powerful experimental approach to discover drugs that can target other bacterial proteins and combat a wide range of antibiotic-resistant infections.'

The article 'Steroid Drugs Inhibit Bacterial Respiratory Oxidases and Are Lethal Toward Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus' is published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases (University of Kent: Samantha A. Henry, Calum M. Webster, Mark N. Wass, Gary K. Robinson and Mark Shepherd).

Journal Reference:

1. Samantha A Henry, Calum M Webster, Lindsey N Shaw, Nathanial J Torres, Mary-Elizabeth Jobson, Brendan C Totzke, Jessica K Jackson, Jake E McGreig, Mark N Wass, Gary K Robinson, Mark Shepherd. Steroid Drugs Inhibit Bacterial Respiratory Oxidases and Are Lethal Toward Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2024; DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad540

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240313135520.htm

'Abnormal brain structure IDd in children with developmental language problems'

 A rigorous analysis of numerous studies concludes that a part of the brain traditionally associated with movement is abnormal in children with developmental language impairments, according to Georgetown University Medical Center neuroscientists. The discovery has the potential to improve both the diagnosis and treatment of the language difficulties.

The researchers investigated brain abnormalities in developmental language disorder. This condition, which impacts the development of various aspects of language, is about as common as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia, and more prevalent than autism. The scientists found that abnormalities occurred specifically in the anterior neostriatum within the basal ganglia, a structure found deep in the brain.

They describe their findings in Nature Human Behaviour on March 15.

To better understand why the language impairments occur, the researchers analyzed the results of 22 articles examining brain structures in people with the disorder, and then employed a new computational method to identify common patterns of abnormalities across the studies. They determined that the anterior neostriatum was abnormal in 100% of the studies that examined the structure, with fewer abnormalities in all other parts of the brain.

"We hope that by identifying the neural bases of developmental language difficulties we may help increase awareness of a major, but also rather unrecognized, disorder," says the study's lead author Michael T. Ullman, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience and director of the Brain and Language Laboratory at Georgetown University Medical Center. "We caution, however, that further research is necessary to understand exactly how the anterior neostriatum might lead to the language difficulties."

Ullman says the findings underscore the potential utility of drugs that are known to improve movement impairments due to basal ganglia dysfunction, such as those that act on dopamine receptors. Interventions that encourage compensation by intact brain structures may also be useful. Additionally, basal ganglia abnormalities could potentially serve as early biomarkers of an increased likelihood of developmental language problems. Such early warning signs could trigger further diagnostic procedures, potentially leading to early therapy.

"Continuing research efforts to further understand the neurobiology of developmental language disorder, especially the role of the basal ganglia, could help the many children who are affected by these problems," concludes Ullman.

More information: The neuroanatomy of developmental language disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Nature Human Behaviour (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01843-6

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-03-abnormal-brain-children-developmental-language.html

Taiwan Confirms Presence Of US Green Berets On Islands Very Close To China's Coast

 by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng confirmed on Thursday the presence of US Army Special Forces soldiers in Kinmen, a group of islands that are controlled by Taiwan but located just off the coast of mainland China.

Some parts of the Kinmen islands are just 2.5 miles away from the mainland Chinese city of Xiamen. The presence of US troops on the islands was first reported by Taiwanese media last month.

Chiu confirmed the highly provocative deployment when asked about a new report from the US outlet SOFREP that said US Green Berets have taken up “permanent positions” as military advisors in Kinmen. The US soldiers are also deployed in Penghu, a Taiwanese-controlled archipelago about 30 miles west of the main island of Taiwan and 70 miles east of mainland China.

The SOFREP report said the US Green Berets were stationed at the Taiwanese Army’s amphibious command centers. The deployment was carried out under provisions in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which called for the US to create a comprehensive training program for the Taiwanese military.

The new collaboration includes the US troops training Taiwanese forces on the Black Hornet Nano, a compact military drone. Chiu said the presence of the US Green Berets was a “learning opportunity” for Taiwan’s military.

The US has significantly increased its military and diplomatic support for Taiwan in recent years, ratcheting up tensions with China. Last year, the US deployed around 200 troops to Taiwan, marking the largest known US military presence on the island since the US pulled its troops out after Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979.

The US also recently began providing Taiwan with unprecedented military aid. Since 1979, the US has always sold weapons to Taiwan but never financed the purchases or provided arms free of charge until last year.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/taiwan-confirms-presence-us-greet-berets-islands-very-close-chinas-coast

Biden Wants to Hike Taxes by $7 Trillion

 If Democrats win the trifecta with a clean sweep of the Senate, House, and White House in November, taxes would rise by $7 trillion over 10 years.

The House Ways and Means Committee reports The Biden Tax Hike Will Likely Exceed $7 Trillion.

I believe they mean would not will.

Tax Details

• President Biden Quietly Pledges to Let Trump Tax Cuts Expire
• Sending Jobs and Companies Overseas with Higher Business Taxes than China
• Global Tax Surrender Allows Foreign Governments to Take American Tax Dollars
• President Biden’s proposal to raise the top rate to 39.6 percent goes after small business owners who pay their business taxes via their individual tax return – despite his pledge not to raise taxes on small businesses.
• A Tax on Wealth You Haven’t Even Earned Yet.
• Higher Prices for Energy Bills and an Energy Insecure America.
• An IRS That Would Terrify Godzilla

A friend of mine asked when will the tax hikes cause a recession. I replied never. I suspect my friend was confused over the title that said “will” it should say “would”.

I did not total up all of those details because I don’t believe it’s going to happen. However, It is a warning shot as to what would happen if Democrats did win the trifecta.

Biden’s Populist Budget

The Hill comments Biden’s populist budget marks the overdue end of trickle-down economics

Trickle-down refers to the idea that tax cuts for the wealthiest “trickle down” to the rest of us. It’s long been a popular idea in Washington, but it’s just not true. A few years ago, the London School of Economics studied 50 years of such “trickle-down” policies in 18 industrialized nations, including the U.S., and found that their only result was increasing the wealth of the already wealthy.

So how do we get prosperity for the rest of us? By taxing extreme wealth and investing those revenues in social goods like education, housing, food and health care. President Biden’s recently released federal budget plan follows that blueprint, putting the value of investing in American families and communities ahead of slashing taxes for the rich.

The budget for the fiscal year 2025 would generate about $5.3 trillion in revenues over the next decade. That’s a $388 billion boost compared to last year’s budget — and it all comes from fairer tax policies targeting wealthy individuals and large corporations. Households earning less than $400,000 would see no tax increases, with many seeing reductions.

The proposed budget invests $2.3 trillion towards essential public services for hard-working families while reducing the national debt by almost $3 trillion. That’s a great start toward filling critical investment gaps for families and communities.

Take housing. The National Low Income Housing Coalition reports a shortfall of more than 7 million affordable housing units for poor and low-income Americans. Biden is requesting $33 billion for the Housing Choice Voucher program, which currently helps over 2 million households afford housing and would expand access to homeownership for first-time homebuyers. His request will help to support the existing vouchers and add about 20,000 more.

Though much more is needed, this effort to reduce homelessness by providing access to safe affordable housing in a tight housing market — with high rent prices and often insufficient wages — is a step in the right direction.

Normally writers for The Hill are not nutzoid liberal like the above article.

But it’s not going to happen unless you think Democrats can pull off a trifecta.

Nonetheless, the budget is instructive as are CBO and Fed projections. I will have some comments on those projections Sunday or Monday.

Optimism reins supreme, and it won’t happen.

https://mishtalk.com/economics/biden-wants-to-hike-taxes-by-7-trillion-dollars/